Post Knockdown Ep
by ishipcaskettalways
Summary: "Kate..." his voice was hoarse and he took a step toward her, took the glass from her hand and set it on the counter beside him. She couldn't move, could only stare at him, at his eyes and then his lips; so inviting. She couldn't break her eyes from them as he came closer and then he was only a breath away and her heart beat so fast it almost hurt.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I literally_ just _wrote this! I checked, re-checked and checked again for typos and things that didn't make sense but if they're still there I'm sorry! This is only my second story (the first has so many typos I cringe) so go easy on me lol I'm thinking about writing more chapters to this, but I'm not sure if you guys want it. Please leave reviews so I know! :)) Thaaanks!**

**P.S. These characters do not belong to me, I own nothing but the words I've just written about them!**

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It had been exactly three days since Castle kissed Beckett in the street and she still couldn't stop thinking about it. She'd replayed it in her mind countless times and could still feel his hand on her face as he jerked her to a stop, could see the way he watched her mouth as if if he'd looked her in the eye he wouldn't have gone through with it, could feel his lips on hers, his hands in her hair, their bodies molded together for that one remarkable moment.

For the briefest of moments, she'd pulled away. Shocked and honestly, a bit sad, because here they were, after everything they'd been through, finally sharing a kiss, a smoldering, butterfly inducing, come-home-with-me kiss, and it was for a case. A cover-up. But she'd pulled away and saw the look in his eyes. She could tell that this wasn't just for the case. This wasn't just a cover-up, and in that moment she was 100% certain that he wasn't just _here_ for research. He was here for _her_. And so she'd kissed him again, wanting it more than anything and knowing that it really was working as a cover-up. She let herself feel him, his lips on hers, his arms wrapped around her and she almost didn't stop. But she had a job to do and so she'd opened her eyes the moment the man had turned and she twisted away from Castle to knock the man out. Her heart beat so fast even now, just thinking about it.

She sat in her living room, on her couch, her bottom lip between her teeth, pretending to watch a midnight sit com when all she was really doing was thinking about Castle. That's all she ever did, lately. This brought a smile to her face, as the realization suddenly hit her. She was acting like a pre-teen with her first crush.

She jumped when she heard the knock at the door, and her brows furrowed slowly as she wondered who would be showing up at her apartment unannounced. She shut the TV off, walked to the other side of the room quickly and quietly, and checked through the peephole on the door. It was Castle. She unlocked the door and opened it with a small, reserved smile on her face.

"Hey, Castle, what are you doing here?"

"We need to talk about the case," he said, and walked right past her, welcoming himself in her home in a way that was becoming all too familiar.

She shut the door and listened to him speak, always so eager to hear his take on things, and enlightened that he spent as much time on her cases as she did. They had a new body, bright and early the day before, just in time for her to finish up paperwork for the previous case (emphasis on the word her).

The body had been found in an alley right next to The Old Haunt, a 26-year-old female Lanie'd identified as Marissa Copeck, two identical stab wounds side by side on her right lower abdomen, abrasions on her arms and legs, and a single bruised kick to the stomach. There'd been no sexual assault, and she'd had cash on her even after the stabbing which raised a big red flag that read, "NOT A BURGLARY".

No fingerprints on her, no enemies, and nothing out of the ordinary in her phone calls, (which was something that could change once they got deeper into the case) but what they did know was that her boyfriend left town the same day she was killed and was, to say the least, bad news. They had released his name and photo to all surrounding police and train stations and were desperately awaiting his arrest, if nothing but for a lead - whether it involved him or not.

"Alexis knows Marissa," he let it fall out of his mouth, happy to finally get the news out, and excited to see Kate's reaction.

"What do you mean, from where?" Kate was instantly hanging on every word, more than ready for a break in the case that she was already so involved in.

"Well, she doesn't _know her_ know her, but apparently last weekend when she was at the mall with some girlfriends, just as they were leaving there was a fight in the parking lot. She said the man Marissa was with scared them a bit so Alexis and her friends quickly got into the car, but not before they heard some promising threats..." he trailed off, and could see the question on her face.

"Threats?"

"To quote Alexis.. the words '_I'll put a bullet in your skull_' were muttered. Well, screamed, really... and in that sequence!" he added as an afterthought.

"Oh my God, Castle, do you realize what this could mean?" He could see the excitement in her eyes, but also the sadness that this new piece of information, no matter what the outcome, would ultimately lead back to another innocent life lost.

"Mmhm, and there's more. I showed her a picture of the boyfriend and she said that was him,"

Just as she was about to speak, her eyes squinted..

"How did you show her the picture already?" she watched the look on his face as he realized he'd been caught.

"Well-"

"Castle, what did I tell you about taking pictures of the case? You better not have that picture of Marissa on there," she threatened. He knew she meant the picture from the alley where she was found.

"No. I don't, I promise. I just didn't see the big deal, I mean we released the photo-"

"Yeah, to the police. What if he's innocent? Don't show anyone else."

"I'm sorry... but I mean, he doesn't sound innocent and if you look at it-"

"Yeah, I know I know. It's a good thing you did" she smiled then. "You want to stay for a drink? I have a new bottle of wine I was thinking of opening," she tried to sound nonchalant, but she really hoped he'd say yes. Even if all they talked about was the case, she just wanted to be around him for a bit longer.

He didn't mention the fact that he'd obviously also shown Alexis a picture of Marissa (pre-shooting). She hadn't realized and he wasn't about to bring it back up.

"Sure, that'd be great" he smiled and followed her to the kitchen, watched her as she grabbed the bottle from the fridge, two glasses from the cabinet. She poured them each a healthy glass and leaned against the fridge, taking a sip and licking her lips, pressing them together.

Castle took a sip and then set his glass down, his fingers lingering on it as it rested on the counter. He looked at her, her eyes already on his, and felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn't get the kiss out of his mind either. And neither one of them had breathed a word of it since it happened.

She knew he was thinking of it, could tell by the way his eyes darkened, could tell by the way his eyes drifted from her eyes to her wet lips and back up. They stared at each other for a while, unable to break away from the others gaze, each of their hearts beating like a drum.

"Kate..." his voice was hoarse and he took a step toward her, took the glass from her hand and set it on the counter beside him. She couldn't move, could only stare at him, at his eyes and then his lips; so inviting. She couldn't break her eyes from them as he came closer and then he was only a breath away and her heart beat so fast it almost hurt.

And just like that he closed the distance between them, so slow she thought time had stopped, and their lips touched, just the briefest of touches, sending butterflies free in her stomach again. Their lips pulled apart, just barely, and he stayed right where he was, breathing heavy, their breath mingling in the tiny space between them.

She didn't move to touch him, as if she thought that if she didn't, no matter how bad she wanted it and no matter how much it showed, she could still place the blame on him. Make it seem like he kissed her when he shouldn't have even though they'd both know that was a lie.

"Castle," it was barely a whisper and encouraged him to kiss her again before she tried to stop this from happening. And so he did, his lips on hers again, this time longer and more confident, before he kissed her lips quickly, again and again.

It was as if they were completely in sync. The moment his hand reached out to cup her jaw, her hands slid up his body, resting on his chest and clenching the material she found there. They reconnected with an open mouthed kiss, her pulling him closer, him leaning in and she knew this would change things. Her back pressed hard against the cold fridge and almost burned her searing skin through her thin t-shirt. She was on fire for Castle, couldn't get enough of him; he was in her veins.

He pressed into her, moving his hands through her hair to pull her mouth impossibly close and the sound of their kisses echoed in her quiet loft. He pulled his lips from hers, pressing kisses on her cheek, down her jawline and to her neck; her quiet moan letting him know that she was more than satisfied with the quick work of his mouth. Castle brought his lips back to hers and kissed her again, their tongues dancing, the taste of her intoxicating.

Just then her cell phone rang. They jumped, as if they'd been caught doing something they shouldn't have been doing, and their lips parted. Both of them kept their eyes closed for a moment, their chests heaving. Kate was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry, I have to..answer that" she unclenched her aching fingers from his shirt, and noticed the wrinkles before she looked up at him and then quickly stepped around him to grab her phone from the table by the sink. She would have smiled or even laughed under different circumstances, but she was so nervous about what would happen now, that she couldn't.

"Beckett" she breathed into the phone, a little too raspy. She listened to the phone call with a serious look on her face, mentally took down instructions to an address and then hung up. She was grabbing her coat from the living room immediately.

"What's going on?" he asked from his spot in the kitchen.

"There's another body and Lanie thinks it could be linked to Marissa's murder," she slipped her boots on as she explained this, and then stopped with her fingers on the door knob, a worried look in her eyes as she stared at him from across the room.

"Is it a serial?"

"I don't know. Could be... you comin'?"

The side of his mouth turned up into a smile and he walked towards her.

"Let's go find out."

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**Please leave reviews and let me know what you think! :')**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Omg, thank you guys so much for all of the positive feedback! I wasn't expecting so many comments lol so thank you guys so much! I hope you like this chapter, I actually changed a couple things in the first chapter to make this one make more sense because I'd changed my mind on something I'd decided to put in the story. Let me know what you guys think!**

**P.S. These characters do not belong to me, I own nothing but the words I've just written about them!**

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The entire ride over was silent, and Kate bit her lip because there was so much to be said, so many words when they couldn't be said at all. She couldn't excuse her behavior; no matter how much she'd wanted it, the kiss, Castle, she was not a single woman. Josh was going to be heartbroken when she told him. She thought about him, and about Castle as she drove on and when she pulled to a stop at her destination she just sat there with the car running, her hands in her lap and she stared at them. She couldn't say what she wanted to say but she felt like she needed to say something, it was so awkward being silent like this. She took a deep breath and held it for a moment, trying to work up the courage. And just when she was going to say something, anything, she simply closed her mouth, took the keys from the ignition and stepped out of the car. Castle followed.

When they approached the scene, Lanie was wearing a serious look on her face as she addressed Kate. "Girl, you are not gonna believe this," she said as she waved them over.

"What is it, Lanie?"

"I found marks on the body of Marissa Copeck _and_ on the body of Adam Turner that indicate that they were both drugged before they were killed."

"And what makes you think their murders are related?" Kate asked, confused, but interested.

"Take a look at this." She pointed at the mans shirtless torso, and there sat two glistening stab wounds, perfectly aligned on his right lower abdomen.

"Oh, my God.." Kate trailed off as she looked up at the M.E.

Beckett was back at the precinct, sitting in front of the white board and trying to take in all of the information they'd gathered over the last couple of hours...and listening to the sound of her stomach growl. She was hungry, but she'd put that aside to try and sort through what she could to bring this case some justice. Lanie had inspected the bodies further and found that not only had they both been murdered within a 40 minute time frame, Adam's hands had been scrubbed clean...postmortem. They suspected this was because the victim had fought back, the scrubbing of his hands indicating that the suspects skin had been left under his nails.

This meant they needed to find their killer, and quick, before the defensive wounds were nursed back to health. Only they had nothing to go on. The boyfriend had been picked up, and had admitted to leaving town because he'd stolen money from a "friend". He was trying to hide it but she told him to save it, that she wasn't interested in what he'd stolen, that she was only interested in how his girlfriend was murdered and where her killer was. He'd been shocked to learn the news, though he showed little interest. He said they'd been more like, "fuck buddies" because even though they labeled themselves as such, she wasn't a very good girlfriend. She'd been having an affair for 3 months that he knew of, and he'd not spoken to her since the day they broke up- 3 weeks ago. She knew he didn't kill her.

So there lay another dead end. There were no prints left on either body or at either crime scenes, so all they could do for now was interview family and friends to see what was going on and how the two vics were related. Ryan and Espo were on it, and Castle was...where was Castle?

Kate turned her head just in time to see him round the corner with a coffee from the break room for each of them and a smile on his face. He had that look in his eyes again. Like he knew things. She couldn't take her eyes from his as she thought about this, and then she remembered the moan she'd made twice this week, louder the second time, but both for Castle..

"What," Castle asked casually, a concerned look on his face now. He was standing beside her, her coffee stretched out to her, and she took it from his hands. Her fingers brushed his but she avoided eye contact, knowing she'd get lost in them again and thinking of the awkward car ride they'd recently endured. She sipped her coffee and returned her attention to the white board.

"Nothin', just thinking about this case. I feel like it's just completely shifted gears and we've got nothing to go on. I don't know what to do," this wasn't a total lie, just not what she'd been thinking of at that exact moment. Castle took a seat on the edge of the desk beside her.

"Well. It's getting late. What do you say we go home and get some rest, sleep on it, and get back here first thing in the morning with fresh minds," he asked her with a shrug of his shoulder.

"Actually, that sounds perfect. It's been a long day," she emptied her coffee cup and then carried it to the break room, butterflies swirling in her stomach since he'd uttered the words '_sleep on it_'. Like he meant _together_. What was wrong with her?

"You know what," she said when she noticed Castle had followed her, "I'm starving. You wanna come over and order in? We can..talk about the case," she added as an afterthought.

His smile was devious. "Order in? You don't have to ask me twice,"

They sat on her couch, Kate with her legs pulled up under her "Indian-style", and Castle with both legs planted firmly on the floor while they munched on the last few bites of their Chinese take-out dinner.

"You know, you didn't have to pay for this. I invited _you_, remember?" she said as she popped a piece of general tso's chicken in her mouth.

"So? I like paying. And besides, I think I owe it to you after we've sat here for _at least_ two hours and all I've come up with is angry alien stories and government conspiracy theories."

"Castle, that's like, every day," she laughed as she said it and then leaned over to grab a bite of his black pepper chicken. He watched her as she did this, a smile on his face, and she tensed when she realized what she was doing. She always ate from Josh's food when they ordered in and he hated it, but the fact that Castle was looking at her with that adoring smile right now was melting her. She looked up at him, and then quickly popped it into her mouth and smiled.

"What?" she was trying to act casual but she knew it had to be _so obvious_ to him that she was embarrassed.

"Nothing, you're just adorable. That's all," he took another bite as he said this, and watched her face, and she knew he was waiting to see how she'd react. He'd told her things like this before, told her she was beautiful, cute, sexy...but this was the first time since they'd shared the kisses and even though it'd only been within the past few days, things were already so different.

A small smile played on her lips at the direction her thoughts were going and then she was startled by the sound of her cell phone ringing. And she wasn't jumpy because there might be news about the case, she was jumpy because it was Josh's ringtone, going off while she was sitting on her couch, flirting with Castle and eating his chicken- all the while thinking about the intense kisses they'd recently shared while Josh, her boyfriend, was out of town. After a quick glance at Castle, she stood up and reached to answer her phone.

"Hey," she answered it like she always did, trying to sound normal.

"Hey, babe, what's up," she heard him breath into the phone. She thought about how different she felt when Josh called compared to when Castle's face lit up her iPhone screen. It wasn't right, the way she was treating Josh and she needed to do something about it. That's why she'd left him the voice mail in the first place.

"Nothing, I'm just eating dinner, about to head to bed. I have a big case I have to get a head start on in the morning. But I called because.. I wanted to know if you'd be back by lunchtime tomorrow?" she said the words, and though Josh had no idea what they meant, she knew Castle knew and when she turned to look at Castle's face she found his eyes already on hers. His expression was blank and that worried her. She turned around to finish the conversation, unable to concentrate with Castle's eyes boring into her.

"Yeah, I'll be back by then. You wanna meet at that new restaurant? The one by the precinct?"

"Yeah, yeah. I can probably be there around noon, depending on how the case goes but I'll call or text you to let you know what's going on." She thought about how she sounded to Castle, only being able to hear her side of the conversation. "Okay. You, too. Drive safe. Mm, bye."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she turned around and returned to her spot on the couch. She didn't reach to pick her dinner back up, just pulled her legs underneath her again and met Castle's gaze.

"Everything alright?" he asked her, dutifully playing the 'I wasn't listening' card when there'd been no possible way to avoid it.

"Yeah, I just.." she trailed off, a small laugh sniffling out of her as she stared down at her hands, not knowing what to say.

"Kate...If it's...I wasn't even thinking of Josh, I shouldn't have- ...not while you're with someone else." She gave him her best 'don't bullshit me' look.

"I kissed you back, Castle," she said quietly, returning her gaze to her lap after a moment. She sat there thinking about how Josh was nothing but sweet to her the entire time she'd been with him. She wasn't the cheating type, and though she didn't think he'd believe that of her once she told him, she still felt bad that it'd happened. She still couldn't believe it, she rubbed her hands over her face lightly, and dropped them back in her lap as she thought of what had happened here only hours earlier. Castle. His lips on hers, his tongue in her mouth, his hands in her hair as he pressed her back into her fridge.

She looked up at him then, and her eyes were dark. His gaze was fixed on the coffee table, on the meal they'd just shared and she took in every inch of his face. His eyes, his lashes, drooping down to brush his cheeks each time he blinked. The curve of his jaw that met his neck, the hair that swept over the top of his ear. She wanted to bite it. His ear, his neck, his lips. She wanted to crawl over to him and slide into his lap and kiss him until she was dizzy. And then she wanted him to pick her up and take her to her bed and touch her all over. She wanted-

Her thoughts were abruptly stopped when he glanced up at her, that same dark look in his eyes and she knew she needed to go to bed. Alone. _Now._ Before things got out of hand.

She took a deep breath and stood up, stretching to try and act normal. "I think I'm gonna head to bed, Castle, we've got an early start tomorrow." _And I really, really want to kiss you so please get out of my house before I pounce on you._

"Okay," He said, his expression blank before he smiled at her. He gathered up all the empty containers on her table and threw them into the bag the take-out had come in. He carried it into the kitchen to throw away and she carried the leftovers to the fridge.

"You wanna take any of this home?" She asked before she stuck the boxes inside, remembering he'd paid tonight.

"No, you keep it. Maybe we can finish it together..some..time soon. I don't know." He looked to the side awkwardly and then returned his gaze to her before he smiled and turned away. She followed him to the door and smiled when he turned around with that shy, embarrassed look on his face. "So..goodnight?"

"Goodnight, Castle," her eyes involuntarily moved from his eyes to his mouth and back up, and she licked her lips with a flick of her tongue. He watched her for a moment, and then walked away with a smile and wave after he muttered one last, "night, Beckett". She shut the door and locked it, and rested her head on the cool wood, wondering what the hell had gotten into her. She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and thought seriously about asking Castle if he wanted to play a board game before he went home. She stood up straight then, a look of confusion on her face.

"Go to bed, Kate," she said, and then stripped her shirt over her head as she walked to her bedroom thinking about Castle.

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**Ahh, leave me reviews and let me know what you think! Do you like where the story's heading? I have some ideas that I can't wait to share with you guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: K guys, I just wrote this and I'm so tired but I had to get it out of my head, I hope you guys like it! It's a short one, obviously lol I took a bit of your guys' advice too. :) As always, leave me reviews and let me know what you thinkkk!**

**P.S. These characters do not belong to me, I own nothing but the words I've just written about them!**

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It was just about 3:00 in the afternoon but with a case gone cold and a detective with little sleep, Montgomery had sent Kate home and so she sat on her couch unable to sleep, facing the wall of books she'd lined up beginning with her favorites. She saw spine after spine that read, "_Richard Castle_" and it only made her feel worse. She turned her body and let her head fall to left, staring at the painting on the wall, always captivated by the woman's bravery as it seemed she was following her heart and running from those that tried to bring her down. But she studied it from a different light this time and a frown began to form between her eyes.

She'd never thought of the painting as a portrait of sorrow but of happiness, of new beginnings. And as she stared at it now she realized that it could be interpreted completely different and she began to wonder if the woman was actually running from her _problems_, weighed down with all that clothing to symbolize the baggage she held emotionally; the black hole in the sky symbolizing the hole in her chest. In that moment she felt just like her. She'd lost a good thing today and it was all because of her feelings toward Castle, feelings she didn't even think were returned. She could remember Josh's face when she'd told him, a crumbled look of devastation but of understanding, as if he'd known this was where things were heading. And then he'd admitted to it.

_She wanted to bury her head and run but she stayed seated and looked him in the eyes before she said the words, knowing she couldn't take the cowards way out, owing him more than that. Her breath hitched and her mouth hung open for a moment before she spoke._

_"Josh...I want you to know that I've really appreciated everything that you've done for me this past year, you've been so great to me and," she noticed the way he'd closed his eyes and hung his head, a tight lipped smile playing on his lips as he sniffed out a laugh the quiet moment after she'd said his name. "I also want you to know that...that you've been nothing but sweet to me, you don't deserve to be treated the way I've been treating you these past few months, held at arms length for no reason-"_

_He interrupted her then, his eyes full of knowledge as he spoke quietly about their relationship. "No reason? Kate, do you think I don't know about Rick?" She winced at the use of Castle's first name. His head tilted and his face softened and he looked sad when he spoke again. But it was a sadness that she felt was meant for her, like he felt sorry for her and what she was going through. Somehow that hurt worse. "Kate...I know how you feel about the guy, I can see it in the way you look at him when he's around, I can hear it in your voice when you talk about him, see it in your eyes. And I'm not mad. I'm not mad that you don't look at me that way because I know you don't have a choice. And I know that you have feelings for me. But I know your feelings for him are stronger. So I'm not gonna try and save..us, it's been clear for a while that this is where things were heading."_

_Her eyes welled up with tears and she felt a tug on her heart for a man that she loved, just not nearly enough. "Castle kissed me," she felt the words fall out of her mouth, exhausted that she'd been holding it in and feeling so awful about it, but wanting him to know, wanting him to show her something more than kindness when she was, quite literally, dumping him._

_She met his eyes and saw something there, but wasn't sure what and she held her breath as she waited for him to ask what she already knew he would. "D'you kiss him back?" he questioned her after he'd taken a sip of his sweet tea. Her eyes drifted involuntarily down to his mouth, to the wet lips she'd never kiss again and she couldn't help the blanket of sadness that surrounded her at that realization._

_"Yes," she admitted. "I didn't mean to, I just...I wasn't thinking and he just..I don't know," she stared at her lap, suddenly flustered and not for the first time that day, she didn't know what to say to him._

_"Don't. It's okay. You don't have to..explain it," he smiled then, and she saw true happiness in his eyes. She wondered if he'd been feeling as held down as she had by the relationship, and wanted to lean forward to cup his cheek in her palm, but instead she clutched at her nervously sweaty fingers. "Hey, we can still be friends, right?" He asked, and reached across to grab for her hand, which she met on the top of the table. She smiled back at him with her lips pressed together, tears rimming her eyelids and she shook her head. She hadn't seen him in almost two weeks and he looked handsome, the crinkles by his eyes defining his face that had burned golden in the sun as he'd worked for a great cause._

She remembered it so clearly, like she was still sitting at that table. They continued to have lunch together and spoke about the things he'd done while he was away, and she told him about the case she was working on now and for a short while things felt normal for her. But they were just having lunch, they weren't flirting, they weren't locked in each others eyes, they weren't yearning for each others touch the way her and Castle did and she felt like she'd made the right choice.

But then she remembered that it was just that. _Her_ choice. What if Castle didn't want her the way she wanted him? Well, there was the kiss in the alley.. And then the kiss in her kitchen. There was no denying the attraction between them but what if that's all it was? What if he _just _wanted to have sex with her? She'd ended a good thing and broken up with Josh but she felt good about that choice, and it's not like she would run back to him if Castle rejected her. _Oh, God. _What if Castle rejected her?

She sighed and closed her eyes, drifting off and feeling guilty but thinking of Castle, of what he was doing right that very moment and of course, of that last kiss...

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His fingers tangled in her hair and he kissed her hard, his other hand floating down over the slope of her breast before resting on her waist and pulling her up onto the table in the interrogation room. She kissed him back hungrily, drinking him in and pulling him as close to her as possible. When his lips left hers to occupy the curve of her neck, she fisted a hand in his hair roughly, tilting her head to allow him better access and letting out a loud, throaty moan. Her other hand splayed out at her side, holding her up as her back arched into him, and her fingers bent to grip the table. She pulled his mouth back to hers with a grin and a tug of her hand and nipped his bottom lip with her teeth. Suddenly her back was pressed into the cool metal of the table and he climbed on top of her, fitting neatly into the apex of her thighs which slid up to wrap around him with a mind of their own. He was fully pressed into her now and she could barely take it. She reached between them and ripped his shirt down the middle, the buttons flying all around them, bouncing on the hard floor. Her mouth slipped down to his clavicle which she placed open mouth kisses across, making him groan until he'd wrapped his fingers in her hair and pulled down, bringing her mouth back to his. This brought a lazy, breathy moan from her throat which echoed around her loft and brought her to a start.

Her eyes shot open and Kate sat up quickly on the couch, looking around confused until it dawned on her that she'd been dreaming, that the sound had come from her mouth. The sudden realization of the dream she'd been having fell onto her face like a curtain, clouding her eyes until she bit down on her bottom lip. She looked up at the picture beside her and remembered the thoughts that had run through her head just- how long had she been sleeping? There wasn't much light coming in the windows and judging by the little amount it left she guessed it was about 7pm. She ran a hand through her hair and then stood up and padded her way to the bathroom, brushing her teeth and thinking about food. And Castle.

She slipped her feet into her slippers and then went straight to the kitchen, her hand going right for the left over Chinese she'd shared with Castle two nights before. She tossed it onto the counter and then grabbed a bottle of wine and a glass from the cabinet. She'd just poured herself a healthy amount and taken a few sips, all the while thinking about that delicious kiss she'd had right in that very spot, when she heard the knock on her front door. The glass still at her lips, her eyes opened wider and darted towards the noise. Kate took another drink and set the glass down, licking her lips and pressing them together as she walked to greet whoever it was at her door.

The door swung open and she met his eyes, smiling involuntarily at the curved lips before her. "Castle," she breathed and her heart sped up as she pulled the door open wider, offering him to step inside.

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**Whatcha think? :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: This chapter was really up in the air up until I decided to write it just a little bit ago. (Not that I wasn't going to write it, I just wasn't sure what to write yet lol) I hope you guys like it. Leave me reviews! :)  
**

**P.S. These characters do not belong to me, I own nothing but the words I've just written about them!**

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"Did I interrupt your dinner?" Castle asked, pointing at the take-out on the counter.

"Oh, I was just picking at our leftovers. You hungry?" Kate walked to the kitchen as she spoke, finding another fork in the silverware drawer and handing it to Castle over the marble counter.

"Starved," he said with a smile. He adjusted himself at the stool on the opposite side of the counter while Kate just leaned over where she was standing, her elbows resting beside the food, her fork in the air as she spoke.

"You know this is sort of becoming a thing. You, coming over here unannounced, making yourself at home, eating my food," she paused to take a bite of the chicken from her fork, a smile playing at her lips.

"Oh, no this was planned." He took a piece of chicken from under her fork just before she speared it with her own, and popped it in his mouth. "I believe last time I was here I said, and I quote, _'Maybe we can finish it together some time soon'. _So your little plan to make me feel like a mooch- ain't workin' toots."

"I don't think I responded to that, though, did I, Castle?" She cocked her head at him, a gleam in her eye.

"Ahhh, yes, but, like any _normal_ person, I interpreted your silence as passive compliance." She laughed at that, shaking her head, her hair falling around her face and she covered her mouth as she chewed.

"You're crazy,"

"You love it," he said it with a grin which she returned and then her eyes fell to the spot just behind his head as she remembered Josh and their conversation they'd had just the day before. She was thinking about how she'd had to tell him that she'd kissed Castle back, and then all she could think about was that kiss, was longing for it, for his lips on hers yet again when she glanced back up at him with clouded eyes.

His grin faltered and he looked down at their food and suddenly set the fork down, clearing his throat.

"Do you have anything..to drink?" He asked, his hands folding together over the counter before him.

She was straightening immediately, reaching for the glasses in the cabinet. "Sure! Water, wine, orange juice, what do you want?"

"Surprise me," he said with a hint of a smile.

She grabbed two wine glasses on impulse and the same wine they'd shared before, feeling his eyes on her but too nervous to meet them. "I feel like wine," she said in a voice once cleverly described as her "_bedroom voice_", as she popped the cork and began to pour.

She sat the glass in front of him and took a sip from hers, meeting his eyes over the rim. Things were so different now. Him being here, in her home, drinking wine with her when they hadn't even discussed a case _once_.

He took a gulp and then spoke. "So...did you tell Josh?" She knew the question would be coming, she just didn't expect him to be so forward with it. Then again, this was Castle. He was so predictable but at the same time not at all. Kate walked around the counter and pulled out the stool next to him, sliding onto it and swirling the wine in her glass.

"Yeah. Uhm. We broke up," she said it slowly, gauging his reaction. She tried to make it sound casual, but she hadn't meant to say it so quickly; she knew he'd think it was his fault.

"Oh my God, Kate, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, Castle, it's fine, really. It wasn't because of y-.. I mean, this has been a long time coming. Things haven't been working out with us for a while now. It was a mutual thing. Really. It's fine." She smiled at him, her lips drawn together, and felt heat rising in her cheeks. Whether it was the effects of the wine, sharing information about her love life, having Castle so close when she wanted him so bad or a combination of the three she wasn't sure, but she averted her gaze to her knee which had just pressed into his thigh.

"Kate," she felt his eyes on her and when she met them she watched as he took in every inch of her face, his eyes roaming before coming to a stop on her mouth. When he lifted them she felt her heart rate gaining speed. They stared at each other for a while, the silence in the room suffocating and the temperature constantly rising.

Suddenly it was happening all over again, he was leaning towards her and she could feel herself bending to meet him half way, her body spinning on the stool so that her legs fit in between each of his. Their lips pressed together slowly at first, just like the first night in her kitchen, only this time they were both ready to make it more, ready to come together just like they knew they always would. The kiss became more eager, each of them breaking apart for breaths but coming hungrily together again. His hands slid up to cup her jaw before sliding down to her waist and her fingers stayed in his hair, keeping his mouth on hers.

When their lips parted, they kept their foreheads together, and their breath mingled between what little space lied between them. Her hands slid down to cup his collar and then together they stood, the bar stools sliding out behind them, their bodies pressing impossibly close as they brought their lips together once again. She felt his hands on her lower back, pressing her into him, and she moaned into his mouth, a sound he'd brought from her throat again and again within the last few days.

He spun her around so that her back pressed into the counter top, before his hands circled her waist and then hoisted her up beside their forgotten dinner. He pulled her legs around his waist and brought his lips to her neck, the warm thump of her beating heart more than enough proof to show him how much she wanted him. His hand found her breast and he nibbled on her throat, his free hand sliding up the outside of her thigh. She moaned and bit her lip, her head thrown back in pleasure, her hair spilling down her back.

"Castle," she whispered his name, brought her face down to meet his, their clouded eyes locking. Their lips met briefly before she spoke again. "What are we doing," again, she whispered it, her breath on his lips as he watched her.

He cleared his throat, the hand on her breast sliding, slowly, slowly, down before wrapping around her lower back and linking with the other waiting hand at her waist. "Well, Kate, this is what the kids call '_making out'_. I have to say, I'd assumed you'd been past this before-" He was cut off with a quick blow to his shoulder, the hand quickly smoothing over to his neck, a smile playing on her lips. The smirk he'd been wearing was gone and he was suddenly serious, reaching to pluck one of her hands in his, bringing it up to his mouth and warming it with kisses over each knuckle.

She watched him, his lips roaming over the soft skin of her hand and waited for him to speak.

"I don't know," he paused, his eyes drifting down to her lips and then back up. Their fingers were laced together and resting on her thighs when he spoke again. "I do know I've been waiting for this..for a really long time. And I don't want to do anything to screw this up..."

"I know," if they hadn't been so close, wrapped around each other so completely, she didn't think he'd have heard it but she could tell by the gleam in his eyes that he had. "I want this so much," she said against his lips, their foreheads together again, the warm skin of her fingers reaching up to slide down his cheeks. "I want you, Castle,".

He pressed his lips to hers, an agreement of sorts, that they were on the same page, and right where they wanted to be, finally in each others arms for good. She could taste the wine on his tongue, could feel the rapid beat of his heart as she reached to undo the buttons on his dark blue dress shirt. When she slid her hands up over his chest she smiled and nipped at his bottom lip, bringing her hands up to his shoulders to push the shirt off of his body. He pulled her off of the counter then, and her legs remained fastened around his waist as he carried her to her bed, setting her down onto the thick comforter as she sighed.

Their eyes locked and he pulled her shirt up over her head, tossing it on the ground behind him and then climbing over her and capturing her mouth once again. They made love in the silence of her loft, to the rhythm of their beating hearts, their sweaty bodies aching and arching and reaching for each other until, together, they'd released, their mouths hungry for the other and their bodies molded as one.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it. :) Thinking I may be done with this story so perhaps I'll be starting a new one soon? What do you think?  
**


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